The study was designed to evaluate antigenotoxic effect of methanol Teucrium arduini and Teucrium flavum extracts against mitomycin C (MMC)-induced chromosome and DNA damage in vitro. Cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) and comet assays were used to investigate effect of plant extracts in different concentrations (125, 250, 500 and 1000 µg/mL) on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs). The obtained results showed that the all tested concentrations of T. arduini and the highest concentration of T. flavum significantly reduced the MMC-induced micronucleus (MN) frequency in comparison to positive control (only MMC). There were significantly negative correlations between the extracts concentrations and MN frequencies (Pearson, r = -0.905, p = 0.0001 for T. arduini; r = -0.861, p = 0.0001 for T. flavum). The extracts of both plants further lowered the MMC-decreased nuclear division index (NDI) in a dose dependent-manner (Pearson, r = -0.837, p = 0.001 for T. arduini; r = -0.598, p = 0.040 for T. flavum), but significantly only in the highest concentration (1000 µg/mL). Comet assay showed that extracts reduced MMC-increased genetic damage index (GDI), significantly in the concentrations of 500 and 1000 μg/mL, in comparison with positive control. Based on our results, it can be concluded that methanol T. arduini and T. flavum extracts possess protective proapoptotic and antigenotoxic effect which is indication of their medicinal relevance and use in treatment.
Keywords: Teucrium arduini; Teucrium flavum; human lymphocytes; methanol extracts; protective effect.